Monthly Archives: February 2013

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Spend any time on the town after dark and you will spot the tramp: flashy and provocative, this is the woman who reeks of desperation and has the clothing to prove it. She’s got the lei around her rearview mirror, a phone full of duck-lip-mirror shots, and you know she goes by the first-and-middle-name-porn-star combination online. She’s ripe for the picking as the low-hanging fruit and….(shockingly) it works. In the end, though, the tramp is an utter disappointment as she […]

The Bloodytini is the evening version of the Bloody Mary. While the Bloody Mary is all done up in ice and garnishes and a tall glass, the Bloodytini leaves the ice in the shaker and is served in a low-cut glass. This drink is a savory cocktail – perfect to kick off a heartier meal. The Ingredients: Vodka – Grey Goose is my preference. If you like spice, you may elect to use a pepper vodka Bloody Mary Mix – […]

I want to love the Bloody Mary. Really, I do. It is such a pretty concoction and the possibilities are endless in terms of garnishes and presentation…but it’s just not the drink for me. It seems that most people drink a Bloody Mary early in the morning and/or as a hair-of-the-dog cure for a hangover. Somehow, the mixing of vodka with vegetables seems to make morning drinking more acceptable? Is that it? Eh, it’s noon somewhere, I say – you […]

I die a little inside every time I see a can of green beans. I grew up on canned green beans. Well, let’s be clear: I didn’t really grow up on them because I flat-out refused to eat them, but they were present on the table throughout my childhood. I just don’t understand them: Why would anyone want to take a perfectly crisp, delicious vegetable and turn it into blanched mush in a can? And the smell? The smell! Thankfully, […]

Jennifer Jo, whom I’ve known since Kindergarten, is obsessed with all things cozy: intimate spaces, fireplaces, red wine, a good blanket and someone with whom to share. French Onion is a cozy soup, so it’s only fitting that she requested this recipe. This soup takes time to make. It’s not something that you can or should rush. With that said, it’s the recipe to make when you are cooking for joy and relaxation. The Ingredients: 4 Large Onions – I […]

Not to make you self-conscious, but I can smell the tiniest bit of garlic from a mile away. True story. That Lean Cuisine that you ate for lunch? I smell it. Did you have Chinese for dinner last night? Oh yes, yes you did. Bruschetta? I am about to pass out from the odor. I have a love-hate relationship with garlic. I appreciate it for all of its noble deeds in flavoring, but the departing fragrance that oozes from the […]

Vodka Gimlet: A simple concoction of vodka laced with lime juice, this little number has been gracing my bar tab since Liz ordered my first one in 1998. Lizzie and I were like Statler and Waldorf (those old critics who sit in the balcony on The Muppet Show and throw shade at everyone). We met when I innocently wandered into her territory by taking a serving job at Bennigan’s in college. Liz and I didn’t get along at first and […]

Mise en place: A term thrown around kitchens, cooking shows, and cooking literature that refers to the practice of organizing ingredients, tools, and space prior to preparing a dish. Anthony Bourdain introduced me to this term in Kitchen Confidential… (Have you read this? If not, you must! You will never eat out again…but that’s ok, you can come over and I will cook for you.) …and I think it’s only appropriate to engage in a little mise en place here […]